Twice a year we make bookmarks for my youngest’s teachers. Historically they have featured a picture of her and some Photoshop work of mine. One year, a shot of her lying on a bench became her flying through the sky. This round, though, she didn’t want her photo on there, instead requesting “clouds and snowflakes”. Um, OK. I used the AI generator in Photoshop, mainly to test it out. Do I have pictures of my own of clouds and snowflakes? Yes. Could I have Photoshopped them together? Yes. Could I have done it in less time? Maybe not. It takes time to come up with a phrase and cycle through generating images. This AI doesn’t understand exclusions, so when I typed “open blue sky with white fluffy clouds and sparkling snowflakes no trees” I was bombarded with fluffy snow covered trees and undulating landscapes. I couldn’t get it to let go of the landscaping so I cropped it out. I also used the usual digital techniques for adding the words my eldest requested, with an outer glow to have it stand out from the background. See, my digital skills are still required even with AI assistance. Hm.

What I would really like is to specify the reference set the AI uses to generate the image. Then I could feed it my own photographic library and know where the images are coming from. The snowflakes would be better, and it theoretically would save me time. My biggest time vortex is searching through my photos for what I want. I would also know that I wasn’t relying on some other human artist’s unknown participation. I’ve read that images used for AI training aren’t always compensated or legally used. I wouldn’t ever claim those snowflakes though, but they did make my youngest happy. I could go on and on about AI snowflakes.

I also bought the tassels this year rather than making them. Time ran away from me, so it was a desperation measure, but I’m pleased with the purchase. They are nice tassels, well constructed, and a pretty metallic gold. As requested.